Person    | Male  Born 28/11/1757  Died 12/8/1827

William Blake

Categories: Art, Poetry, Seriously Famous

Poet and artist. Except for 3 years spent on the coast near Bognor, Blake lived his whole life in London, making his living as an engraver. Born at 28 Broad Street, now Broadwick Street (the memorial being in Marshall Street). 1782 married Catherine.

Wrote Jerusalem in his rooms in South Molton Street, the only one of his London homes to survive, other homes being: 28 Broad Street W1; Green Street, near Leicester Square (briefly, no plaque); 28 Poland Street (no plaque);  Hercules Road SE1; 3 Fountain Court at the Strand where he lived his last 7 years and died a poor man. See Tate's William Blake's London for more details.

His friend George Richmond closed Blake's eyes "to keep the vision in". Buried in Bunhill Fields Dissenters' Burial Ground. This was damaged during WW2 and restored in 1960 by which time the precise location of Blake's remains had been forgotten, or at least lost in the archives.

In 2007 there is a campaign to re-mark the grave and to build a monument to this truly great Londoner. And 2018: iNews reports that a new gravestone, in the correct location, will be unveiled in August.

The Blake Archive web site, given as the Picture Source is a magnificent site.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
William Blake

Commemorated ati

Bunhill burial ground - 2

In this ground are the vaults of {see the Subjects commemorated for the list ...

Read More

Linnell & Blake

Greater London Council John Linnell, 1792 - 1882, painter lived here. Wil...

Read More

Spirit of Soho Mural

Interesting that Coca Cola are specifically mentioned on the panel but not as...

Read More

William Blake - SE1

The shield with the red crosses is from the Coat of arms of the City of Londo...

Read More

William Blake - SE1 - lost plaque

This plaque, shown in both this drawing (by Adcock from Culture 24) and the p...

Read More

Show all 7

This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
William Blake

Creations i

British Library - Newton

Bronze, 12 foot high (and he's sitting down).  Via Facebook Henri Hudson has ...

Read More

Iolo Morganwg

The plaque of Anglesey Stone designed and carved by Morris was unveiled at mi...

Read More

Start of the third Millennium in Belgrave Square

The poetry is from "Auguries of Innocence" by William Blake.For other armill...

Read More

Other Subjects

George Romney

George Romney

Painter. Born in Dalton, Lancashire. Died Kendal, Westmorland.

Person, Art

2 memorials
Thomas Allom

Thomas Allom

Architect and artist.  Born Lambeth.  Founding member of RIBA.  Travelled extensively and illustrated topographical publications. Waymarking has the text of a 1997 paper by Leslie du Cane which sa...

Person, Architecture, Art

1 memorial
Art Start

Art Start

An organisation set up to provide after school activities for children in Edmonton Green Shopping Centre. It now exists to give all members of the community access to high quality arts activities. ...

Group, Art, History

2 memorials
Mary Lowndes

Mary Lowndes

Artist, suffragette and founder of Artist Suffrage League in 1909. Born Dorset. Trained in stained-glass work. Lived and worked in Chelsea. The photo shows Lowndes in 1890.

Person, Art, Craft / Design, Gender Issues

1 memorial
Ben Nicholson

Ben Nicholson

Artist. Born Denham, Buckinghamshire. Father was Sir William Nicholson, painter. Married to sculptor, Barbara Hepworth, 1938 -51. They were central to a number of groups of avant-garde artists bas...

Person, Art, Switzerland

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Carmody and Groarke

Carmody and Groarke

Architectural practice of Kevin Carmody (from Melbourne) and Andrew Groarke (from Manchester), formed in 2005.

Group, Architecture, Art, Australia

2 memorials
A. Woodward
War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Jane Loudon

Jane Loudon

Author and pioneer of science fiction. Born near Birmingham as Jane Webb. Wrote "The Mummy!: Or a Tale of the Twenty-Second Century" and published it in 1827, anonymously. This was reviewed favour...

Person, Art, Gardens / Agriculture, Literature

1 memorial
Friends of Nunhead Cemetery (FONC)

Friends of Nunhead Cemetery (FONC)

Founded to represent all those with an interest in the cemetery. The group seeks to promote the conservation and appreciation of the cemetery as a place of remembrance, of historic importance and o...

Group, Community / Clubs

3 memorials
David Richardson

David Richardson

David Richardson was born on 22 December 1970, one of the three children of Derek A. Richardson (b.1949) and Joan Elizabeth Richardson née King (1951-2021). His birth was registered in the Waltham ...

Person, Tragedy

1 memorial